Many people have a misconception of what computer programming looks like.  Images of a dark room lit by the blue eerie glow of computer screens still come to mind.  Some think that programmers work alone and only come out to talk to people when they need to come up for air.

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This couldn’t be further from the truth.  In reality, programmers are in constant communication and collaboration with others.  From coworkers to clients to interested mothers-in-law, programmers communicate about their projects a lot.  In fact, communicating is the only way to get their code to work. Collaboration can happen more often between teams of programmers than co-workers found in other careers. 

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The ability to work well with others is a prized and important aspect in pretty much every career field and in general life success.  Learning to code is an effective way to help kids build those social skills.  Let’s explore 5 ways we do that through our coding curriculum.  

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1. Help and be helped
2. Collaboration on projects
3. Community of Creativity
4. Common across languages
5. Coding in many different fields

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Help and Be Helped

Students learning to code have many questions as they are building a new skill. Naturally, they will ask their peers for help which opens the door for building relationships. Students who know those answers are often eager to share their knowledge. In doing so their confidence grows and the information is solidified. Being helped and helping builds strong social ties among students.

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Collaboration on Projects

Students learning to code will often work together on teams to create large projects.  Each student develops a specific part of the program and their code needs to work with the other code created by their peers.  There are hundreds of ways to write a correct code for each piece of the project.  Therefore, the students end up in constant communication to make sure their particular approach is going to work for the project as a whole.  Students work on their code, check-in with each other, ask for pointers or suggestions, go back and rework their code, and come back together to see if it works.  This process is repeated until the project comes together.  Communication is a huge part of programming.

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Community of Creativity

Coding is a highly creative medium.  Students can create anything they can imagine.  This element of creativity generates a kind of community where students anxiously share their ideas and get inspiration from others.  Students will find others who share their enthusiasm and often explore in person and online groups of peers who love to create with code.  Coding provides a medium for students to connect with others in a healthy, constructive way.

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Common Across Spoken Languages

Coding is a tool that works across spoken language barriers.  All students, who have learned to code, will have something in common no matter what language they speak. Understanding code allows them to communicate and relate with people from all over the world.  Learning to code helps students become more comfortable with others, no matter what their spoken language might be.  The skill of coding is relevant no matter where in the world you are from.

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Coding in many different fields

Students of code have a skill set that is common across many different career fields.  While some skills or trades are highly specific, coding is used in virtually every career field.  Students of code will be able to communicate and relate with a wide variety of people who work in many different professions.  Everyone works with computers and therefore most every company has some form of programmer.  Students of code will be relevant everywhere and have a place in every social circle.  

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As you can see, programming is not a solitary exercise. People who code work with others often and find themselves in highly social environments.  Coding helps students build social skills as they help each other learn.  They collaborate with peers to create projects that work well together.  Students of code become involved in a highly creative community that thrives on sharing their cutting-edge ideas.  Students discover that learning a programming language transcends spoken languages as they relate with people from all over the world.  And lastly, they are building a skill that is highly relevant across career fields.  Learning to code builds many social skills for students now, and in the future. 

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If you’d like to learn more about customizing a computer science pathway for your classrooms, schedule a consultation with Skill Struck today. 

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